August 7, 2026 / 9:35 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defense agreement on Friday, solidifying cooperation between the three regional powers at a time of growing security concerns and amid threats from the Iran war. "The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry and Turkey's presidential communications directorate said in identical statements."It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defense cooperation among the three States," the statements said, adding the agreement was called the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement." The agreement was signed in the Saudi holy city of Mecca during a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Shari. It brings together three Sunni Muslim-majority states: oil-rich Saudi Arabia, nuclear power Pakistan and Turkey — a country that has NATO's second-largest army and a rapidly growing defense industry.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sign a trilateral joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 7, 2026.
